Historic House Museums in the United States and the United Kingdom

Historic House Museums in the United States and the United Kingdom: A History addresses the phenomenon of historic houses as a distinct species of museum. Everyone understands the special nature of an art museum a national museum or a science museum but ‘house museum’ nearly always requires clarification. In the US it’s almost synonymous with historic preservation; in the UK it’s simply unfamiliar the very idea being conflated with stately homes and the National Trust. <BR /><BR />By analyzing the motivation of the founders and subsequent keepers of house museums the author identifies a typology that casts light on what they were intended to represent and their significance (or lack of it) today. <BR /><BR />